Saturday, October 12, 2013

The Awakening

At the very beginning of The Awakening,
we’re filled in on what’s been happening in our setting, early twentieth
century London. People have been dying left and right with their demises being
blamed on ghosts. Florence Cathcart (Hall) doesn't buy any of this. When we
meet her, she’s busting up the operation of some phony medium. She’s also a
best-selling author, having written a book definitively concluding there is no
such thing as a ghost. Her book is so good, we’re told several times that most
people keep it right next to their Bible. This makes zero sense because she
clearly states that she has no use for religion, doesn't believe in God, or an
after-life of any sort and implies that this is also made transparent in the book. Last I
checked, Christians weren't too fond of such declarations, but whatever.

The point of it all is that Florence is hired to investigate
the possible existence of a ghost at a boarding school for boys after one of
its students has inexplicably died. Naturally, since the class photo from every
year shows the same ghostly image, this is thought to be the work of some
supernatural force. Within a few short scenes, our heroine solves the mystery
of the boy’s death in a way awfully reminiscent of an episode of
Scooby-Doo. The only thing missing is her unmasking the
villain who then proclaims “I would've gotten away with it, if it weren't for
you meddling kids!” But of course, strange things keep happening and the movie
goes on. And on.

The rest of our time is spent is this dreary school watching
Florence set traps for the alleged ghost, hearing noises and seeing the
fleeting image of a little boy. It should go without saying she tries to follow
the lad only to be led, inevitably, to a room with a large dollhouse. When she
looks inside she sees the most recent events depicted with startling accuracy.
Creepy. Oh, along the way she falls in love with Robert (West), the guy who
hired her. She also befriends Maud (Staunton), the lady who seems to do
everything inside the building and Tom (Wright), a friendless boy who likes
talking to adults.

All told, it’s a very “meh” experience. The biggest problem
is, as frightened as Florence gets, she never really appears to be in any
danger. She seems to be cracking up, but that’s about it. The only question is
whether or not this is a real ghost. Without her life being on the line it
doesn't feel like that pressing an issue, either. Rebecca Hall plays the role
well, but the situations are a tad benign to draw us to the edge of our seats.

Alas, we find out Florence’s life really is threatened.
Here, the movie takes a bizarre turn that includes an attempted rape,
single-person ping pong, another trip to the dollhouse and poisoning. This is
all welcome because the pace thankfully picks up from the dreadfully slow trudge
we've been enduring, even though it doesn't make a bunch of sense. The ending
is confusing as we’re sure of one thing, but not another. When the credits
roll, it feels like we've watched a rip-off of The Sixth
Sense. Judging by that movie’s lofty status with critics and regular
folk alike, most of you might feel that’s a good thing. Not to be a contrarian,
but I didn't like The Sixth Sense. And since a copy is
never as sharp as the original, I like The Awakening even
less.